Like most people, you’re probably focused on achieving your goals and making the most of your potential. But maybe you have overlooked something that turns out to be fundamental not just to your success, but to your happiness?
Living with purpose may be more important than you’ve given it credit for. Experts agree that finding meaning, finding, and living your life’s purpose has wide-ranging benefits, some of them a little unexpected.
1. Purpose Can Help You Focus
When you have a clear concept of your life’s purpose, it’s easier to focus your energy and your actions on what you want to achieve. You know where you want to go and how to get there. Purpose acts as a guide and a map on how to reach your goals.
2. Purpose Makes Gratitude Easy
Living with purpose can help you to feel more contented with your life as it already is. People who are aligned with their life’s purpose report greater satisfaction with their present circumstances because they know they are focused on what they want out of life.
3. Purpose Sharpens Your Passions
Knowing your purpose also helps you focus on what fires you up. It helps you to find your passions and go after them.
4. Purpose Helps You Live in Alignment With Your Values
Doing the work of your purpose and working out what matters to you in life helps you to align everything you do with your deepest held beliefs and values. Deciding to live a meaningful life means you are not so tempted by the things that will lead you off the path of purpose.
5. Purpose Makes You A Better Leader
Having a boss who has a clear vision of where they want to go and how to get there is very inspiring for employees and clients alike. Clarity of purpose inspires trust and respect, and it’s a great motivator.
6. Purpose Helps You Live Longer
Perhaps the most unexpected benefit of finding and living your life’s purpose is that it can add years to your life span. Researchers in Japan found that men who had a purpose in their life lived longer than men who didn’t. Knowing your purpose can help you deal better with stress and the ups and downs of life.
People who are living a purposeful life, aligned with their deepest values, tend to worry less and deal with stress and anxiety better. They have better cardiovascular health and suffer less from depression, insomnia, and anxiety.
